


Brawl And Consequences

by kcstories



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Hogwarts Era, Yule Ball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-15
Updated: 2008-06-15
Packaged: 2017-10-17 17:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/179085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kcstories/pseuds/kcstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A different ending to the Yule Ball.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brawl And Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Not terribly canon-compliant.  
> Disclaimer: The Potterverse is JKR's, not mine.

Hermione takes a deep breath, inhaling long gusts of cool night air, and wills herself not to cry. It's not worth it— _they_ aren't worth it—and by this time tomorrow, tonight's events will already be irrelevant anyhow, just one of many subjects of gossip to be discussed over breakfast and already forgotten by lunch.

Still, here and now, tomorrow is still a long way off, so she'll just sit for a while, on this bench, and think and _keep breathing_.

She'll quietly retreat to her dorm later. In an hour or two, when there won't be as much chance of being confronted with painful questions or snogging couples who will only make her feel even worse about herself.

Hermione sighs again. _So much for the Yule Ball._

She'd actually been looking forward to it, and had put quite a bit of effort into her appearance too, even going so far as to magically fix her teeth and straighten her hair for this special occasion.

Ordinarily, she wouldn't have bothered with all that. She normally doesn't care that much about her looks. There are far more important things in life.

Perhaps she shouldn't have gone to such great lengths this time around either, but just shown up as her usual plain self.

Perhaps then Ron wouldn't have behaved so appallingly and Viktor wouldn't have—literally—jumped in to defend her honour, and the Great Corridor Brawl of 1994 might never have happened.

_Honestly…boys!_

Firstly, she's quite capable of defending herself— _thank you very much, Viktor_ —and whether or not someone is too old to be her date is no one's business but her own— _cheers ever so for your unsolicited advice on that front, Ronald!_

She lets out a long, weary sigh and puts her head in her hands.

_This time tomorrow, all will be over and as good as forgotten. Just keep breathing._

"Granger?" a slightly familiar voice pipes up, seemingly out of nowhere. She can't quite place it at first, but at least its tone is friendly.

She looks up and frowns when she sees Cedric standing there. This is completely unexpected. Shouldn't he be in there still, dancing the night away with Cho Chang?

"Diggory," she replies automatically, her voice flat.

"That was quite the spectacle in there," he says with a smile.

“Yeah," she mutters, and feels dangerously close to tears again.

_Bugger._

He hasn't come all the way out here to mock her, has he?

"I couldn't help but notice how the Delacour girl seemed rather put out. Two blokes fighting over someone other than herself." He grins. "I don't think she ever witnessed anything like it before. The experience might have done her some good, though. Maybe it'll help to bring her down a few notches and she'll start being a little nicer to people around here."

Hermione blinks, and then cracks a small smile. She can't help it. The thought of Fleur Delacour with her pretty blond hair, perfect figure and those sophisticated French ways, being jealous of _her_ is rather amusing, and also quite gratifying after the way the girl has been looking down her nose at everyone, especially the Hogwarts students.

"Anyway, Granger, I just wanted to make certain you were all right," he continues, suddenly looking less sure of himself. "You are, aren't you?"

She nods. "It's been quite a night, but I'll live."

"I should hope so," he says. "Though I must confess I was a little disappointed to see you leave the Ball so soon."

She blinks again. "You were?"

He nods. "I'd been hoping for a dance, actually."

Hermione's eyes widen. This evening is getting stranger by the second. "But what about Cho?"

He sits down next to her on the bench. "Cho already went back to her dorm; claimed she was feeling tired."

"Oh."

"To be honest, I think I may have bored her by talking too much Quidditch."

"Fancy that," Hermione says, and laughs.

Cedric shakes his head. "I thought it was a perfectly acceptable topic, seeing how the girl plays the sport herself. Clearly, I was mistaken."

Hermione chuckles again.

The silence that follows is comfortable and pleasant, and for reasons she can't explain, she feels as though a large weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

_Whatever happens tomorrow, things will be fine. It was all... just teenage nonsense anyway._

"Don't let it get to you too much, Granger," Cedric offers, his voice serious once more. "They were both completely wrong for you from the very start."

"Oh?"

"You need someone dedicated, intelligent, hard-working and considerably less two-dimensional than Krum or Weasley."

"I see." She raises an eyebrow in challenge, and adds, "You wouldn't happen to know anyone fitting that description, would you, Diggory?"

He smiles. "Perhaps."

Hermione suppresses the urge to giggle—because really, it's not the sort of thing she _does_ ; ever—but nonetheless, she cannot deny she's flattered and maybe—just maybe, mind—slightly interested, too.

_Goodness. What a bizarre day this has been, and it's not quite over yet._

"So," he says, and nervously clears his throat.

"So," she repeats.

He gets up and holds out his hand. "How about that dance, then?"

She grins, well aware there is only one possible answer to that question. "Yes."


End file.
